HAIR+ Research Study: Through Thick & Thin

To learn more about the HAIR+ category, join us at the HAIR+ Summit, Oct. 16-17, 2016, at the Hilton Northeast Atlanta!Full details and registration here: hairplussummit.com.

New research proves clients need salon help with thinning hair, and they want it before, during and after they start to experience hair loss.

Plus, more clients than ever are interested in the on-demand fashion options and flexibility of extensions and hair enhancements. All good news for stylists and salon owners looking for new ways to help clients and grow business!

In this exclusive 2016 survey of both consumers and salon professionals, MODERN SALON gathered unparalleled information on habits, perceptions, demographics, trends and opportunities shaping the evolving salon service and professional product category that MODERN is redeﬁning as “HAIR+.”

Scan the highlights and key takeaways from the research in this top line special report. Then, use the analysis as a foundation to point you in the direction you want to grow.

Is this the year your salon gets serious about extensions?

Is it time to develop a hair loss consultation program to help your clients?

How about a referral partnership with a hair replacement clinic?

What updated retail options, scalp-care services and other professional resources can you add and offer?

Are you interested in learning more about trichology?

These are all questions that the HAIR+ research results can help you start answering—especially when paired with the salon success stories and sponsor proﬁ les featured in this issue.

Throughout the coming year, MODERN SALON Publisher Steve Reiss and Senior Editor Lauren Quick will be presenting more detailed HAIR+ research ﬁndings at leading industry gatherings. Watch your inbox and modernsalon.com/hairplus for details.

Finally, on October 16-17, 2016, in Atlanta, you can experience all the elements of the HAIR+ research and the entire category coming to life at the ﬁrst HAIR+ Summit, the only immersive, advanced education event created—by design—just for salon professionals. There’s also an advanced education and certification day on October 18. Visit HairPlusSummit.com to learn more.

Why HAIR+, Why Now?

Why did MODERN SALON invest in researching the hair enhancement and thinning hair category? Our editors noted a significant trend both from our salon sources as well as the professional brand partners serving salons. Distributors were paying more attention to the segment, the number of extensions brands exhibiting at national and global shows continued to grow, and more leading brands developed retail treatments. Even trichology, the science of hair and its diseases, started popping up in conversations.

Everyone seemed interested in hair loss, but no one had concrete information on what salon clients wanted from salons or how salons are currently serving clients who have—or are afraid they will have—thinning-hair issues. MODERN saw the need for a broader dialogue, and the HAIR+ initiative was launched with an extensive survey of consumers and salon professionals fielded in May 2016.

Clients Need Your Help

The number-one reason your salon should get more involved in the HAIR+ category? Your clients want and need you to do so. Here are the stats:

Men: More than half of men surveyed by MODERN SALON for HAIR+ report some hair loss, and 75% are concerned about current or future hair loss.

Note: Men who have not yet experienced hair loss are even more interested in finding a solution or alternative to thinning hair (52%) versus those already dealing with hair loss (50%).

Women: Nearly one-third of women say they have hair loss, and 96% say having full, healthy hair is important to them, with 81% at least somewhat concerned about hair loss. Of those with hair loss, vitamins and nutrition are the most common solutions tried, followed by professional salon products.

The Opportunity:

Both men and women are concerned about hair loss—women even more than men.

For both sexes, those who haven’t yet lost their hair are MORE concerned about it and will pay significantly more for a solution than those who have already started to lose hair ($1,808 vs. $725 for men; $1,125 vs. $329 for women).

Women know more than men about their options in coping with hair loss.

Stylists Agree Demand is Growing:

One third of stylists say consumers are asking about hair loss more often.

More than 75% of salon pros believe the hair loss category will be an increasingly important part of their salon business in the next few years.

Take Action:

The current salon-industry focus is on people who are already losing their hair. Research shows the best opportunities are related to preventative solutions.

GETTING STARTED:

HAIR+ research shows that most of your clients are experiencing or concerned about hair loss and they want to find a solution, are willing to pay for a solution, but haven’t yet tried a solution. They haven’t addressed hair loss because they don’t know enough to start the conversation—yet alone to start exploring the options. That’s where you, the salon professional, come in.

More key facts from the survey:

When it comes to hair loss, medical professionals are most trusted by consumers – but barriers to consulting with them could be availability, convenience and cost. Being able to casually talk to a stylist can be a critical intermediate step to pursuing even aggressive hair-replacement solutions.

Most consumers would be comfortable talking to a stylist or barber about hair loss, but they don’t think that these pros know a lot about the topic.

Most consumers have NOT talked to a stylist, and if they have, the conversation is almost always driven by the client.

Consumers would be much more interested in talking to a stylist if they knew the stylist had expertise in hair loss.

Sampling would be a strong motivator for most consumers to try a hair loss solution.

Most consumers don’t know much about the range of options to address hair loss.

Women know more about their hair loss solution options than men and are more likely to have tried one, but neither group reports much knowledge about their options.

Salon Opportunity Promote Expertise:

When asked what they knew about hair loss, about half of salon professionals claim “quite a bit” of knowledge, and 65% say they are comfortable discussing thinning-hair issues with clients. However, that comfort level conflicts with consumers’ perception of stylist knowledge.

Research also shows stylists greatly underestimate how many consumers feel they are experiencing hair loss (stylists say only 23% of their clients on average have hair loss; contrasting sharply with the 64% of men and 32% of women who report hair loss or thinning hair). These disconnects only reinforcethe opportunity for salons to hone and amplify their hair loss consultation, communication and marketing skills.

The key motivation for stylists to develop their hair loss business is to help clients (61%).

Stylists think they are making suggestions about thinning hair products (57% say they actively suggest most of the time or always), but clients say stylists don’t.

“Lack of knowledge” is what stylists say holds them back from getting more involved.

Stylists see professional product companies as the best resource for learning more about thinning-hair solutions.

More than 77% of stylists believe the thinning hair/hair loss segment will become increasingly important to their business over the next few years, with 36% reporting that clients are already mentioning thinning hair or hair loss more often compared to the last few years.

Although scalp health can be directly related to thinning hair, neither clients nor stylists are making the connection or prioritizing conversation about scalp care (another missed opportunity). Stylists report only 13% of clients mention scalp problems during salon visits, even though as many as 17% of consumers report they have scalp problems most or all of the time.

Extensions provide a great range of opportunities for salons and stylists to expand business across client types and needs. Stylists are more aware than clients of the various types of extensions and the different application types.

Trichology is an area of hair loss that stylists report the greatest interest in learning more about (36%).

The HAIR+ Conclusion: GROWTH Can be Yours!There are many more facts, figures and analysis of this first HAIR+ survey to share, and MODERN SALON will continue to present it and help salons and stylists explore opportunities. As we do, keep in mind:

There is strong client interest in prevention of and solutions for thinning hair and hair loss.

Many stylists are helping customers, driving referrals, enhancing their professional stature and making a lot of money by deepening involvement in the HAIR+ segment.

There are even more stylists and salons who have yet to get involved or have just scratched the surface of potential for this growing business.

Have questions or ideas to share on how to take the next step? Do you know of any hair loss-related resources your fellow salon pros should know about? Contact Modern Salon Senior Editor Lauren Quick ([email protected]) or Publisher Steve Reiss ([email protected]).

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